Call-To-Action Benchmarks
Prerequisites
Conduct office-wide EDI training to establish a benchmark metric for your firm. Conduct cultural competency interviews, starting with leadership. Know where you and your office stand before engaging in the subsequent pledge (from individual employees to policies and practices). This is a pivotal first step for any entity looking to make effective change.
a. Actualized Requirements:
Provide a minimum of one training conducted prior to the reporting deadline.
Detailed explanation of strategies and approaches.
b. In Progress Requirements:
Show initiative, planning, and engagement. (Provide details and examples)
2. Start this Call-to-Action by creating a safe space for current and future BIPOC staff. Openly state that Black Lives Matter, and follow through with actionable systemic changes. Work towards transforming the workplace into a safer space not just for BIPOC, but for all staff. When all staff feel valued, seen, and heard, employee retention is improved.
a. Actualized Requirements:
Policy and/or guidelines in place to uphold safe and transparent working environments.
Provide connections to BIPOC affinity groups.
Advocate for BIPOC caucus groups.
Solicit feedback from employees and follow through with actionable steps.
Detailed explanation of strategies and approaches.
b. In Progress Requirements:
Show initiative, planning and engagement (Provide details and examples)
3. Acknowledge that systemic racism/anti-black sentiment and gender inequality have historically existed within the United States, and continue to persist in new forms in the present day. Holistic buy-in from leadership, middle management, and staff on the reality and urgency of this issue is critical in establishing a common point of reference for which to begin the work (see Appendix).
JE:DI: The colon emphasizes the need for JE (Justice and Equity) to be tackled within the workplace first, before true, sustainable DI (Diversity and Inclusion) can begin to take place. One is needed in order to form a foundation for the growth of the other.
a. Actualized Requirements:
Taking an active and on-going stance internally within the workplace and publicly.
Explaining how you are following through with actionable steps, policy, timeline, and engagement.
Detailed explanation of strategies and approaches.
b. In Progress Requirements:
Show initiative, planning, and engagement. (Provide details and examples)
4. Be a co-conspirator everyday by speaking up and showing up for BIPOC colleagues. This includes, but is not limited to: acknowledging, listening to, validating, valuing, supporting, and amplifying the voices of BIPOC professionals both inside and outside of your firm/organization’s domain (i.e. at formal and informal meetings, on job sites, in front of clients, within your communities/homes, in private and public spaces).
a. Actualized Requirements:
Explain how intent is communicated to office staff.
Explain new practices/policies that are being put into place for supporting or encouraging implementing this commitment into firmwide culture.
Detailed explanation of strategies and approaches.
b. In Progress Requirements:
Show initiative, planning, and engagement. (Provide details and examples)
Foundation Commitments
1. Conduct at least (2) annual* open-to-all, firm-wide workshops on cultural competency. Secure the services of a BIPOC expert/specialist on anti-racist educational initiatives.
a. Actualized Requirements:
(2) annual open-to-all, firm-wide workshops on cultural competency completed.
b. In Progress Requirements:
Show initiative, planning, and engagement. (Provide details and examples)
*Please note that this commitment resets in 2022 to ensure continual cultural competency training.
2. Develop a mentorship program within your firm/organization and/or participate in an external mentoring program to connect and support BIPOC staff in their career development within the profession.
a. Actualized Requirements:
Explain a mentorship program that has been implemented within the last 12 months, and remains active by firm leadership and staff.
Show clear objectives or framework for mentorship within your practice.
Explain how perspectives and needs of mentees are heard, valued, and acted on.
Explain what options, resources, and/ or tools are available to mentees
Explain how career development and advancement are currently supported within your firm.
b. In Progress Requirements:
Show initiative, planning, and engagement. (Provide details and examples)
3. Integrate BIPOC books, materials, and vendors into the office’s circulation of reference materials. Acknowledge and support the BIPOC community’s contributions to architectural history and the built environment.
a. Actualized Requirements:
Firm has integrated BIPOC books, materials, and vendors into the office’s circulation of reference materials. (Ex. Theory, History, Urban Design, Contemporary, Policy related, MBE/MWBE small business vendors, craftsman, artisans, designers, etc.)
b. In Progress Requirements:
Show initiative, planning, and engagement. (Provide details and examples)
4. Develop, publish, and uphold clear metrics with path-to-leadership job descriptions, made accessible to all staff.
a. Actualized Requirements:
Provide Clarity and Transparency of metrics for career advancement
Explain how metrics are available to all staff
b. In Progress Requirements:
Show initiative, planning, and engagement. (Provide details and examples)
5. Develop collaborative partnerships with HBCUs, MSIs, and/or local community colleges, universities, affinity groups, and BIPOC-focused organizations, to attract Black or underrepresented BIPOC interns. Provide a competitive salary and benefits.
a. Actualized Requirements:
NOMA NW defines 'collaborative partnerships' as: active, ongoing engagement with organizations. Genuine relationship building for the long term benefit of both entities.
Provide measurable information on the makeup of these ongoing relationships, and how they are being initiated and maintained.
Explain primary goals of stated relationships and how they positively affect the recruitment of BIPOC employees?
b. In Progress Requirements:
Show initiative, planning, and engagement. (Provide details and examples)
6. Actively recruit and provide equal opportunity for underrepresented BIPOC professionals for the firm’s primary services. Provide a competitive salary and benefits.
a. Actualized Requirements:
Describe how equal opportunity is provided for underrepresented BIPOC professionals for the firm’s primary services.
b. In Progress Requirements:
Show initiative, planning, and engagement. (Provide details and examples)
7. Develop an equitable, diverse, and inclusive workforce. This means:
7A. Diversifying recruitment and hiring: Create a hiring committee, which includes senior underrepresented BIPOC staff. All voices within this committee should be listened to (see Appendix).
a. Actualized Requirements:
Have already created a hiring committee, which includes senior underrepresented BIPOC staff. (Provide supporting detail).
b. In Progress Requirements:
Show initiative, planning, and engagement. (Provide details and examples)
*Please note that, at this time, non-BIPOC individuals do not satisfy this or any of the commitments in the CTA.
7B. Diversifying staff: Increase recruitment and retention of underrepresented BIPOC to contribute in primary staff roles.
a. Actualized Requirements:
Collect data & provide measurable plans to improve recruitment and retention of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) employees. Provide data or a summary of these plans.
b. In Progress Requirements:
Show initiative, planning, and engagement. (Provide details and examples)
*Please note that, at this time, non-BIPOC individuals do not satisfy this or any of the commitments in the CTA.
7C. Diversifying leadership: Exercise intentional promotion and retention of qualified BIPOC staff to leadership positions (i.e. Partner, Principal, Senior Associate, Executive board, etc.).
a. Actualized Requirements:
Recognize efforts that need to be put forth in order to achieve diverse leadership.
Actively establishing a path to building diversity in leadership
Articulate time frame for implementation.
Provide details and/or descriptions that support promotion and retention outcomes.
b. In Progress Requirements:
Show initiative, planning, and engagement. (Provide details and examples)
*Please note that, at this time, non-BIPOC individuals do not satisfy this or any of the commitments in the CTA.
Ongoing Commitments
1. Actively work to increase the presence of underrepresented BIPOC professionals and provide clear path-to-leadership framework for:
1A. Primary service roles - such as Project Manager, Senior Associate, Principal, and Partner positions.
a. Actualized Requirements:
BIPOC professionals are present in the above positions
Clarity and Transparency of metrics for career advancement (in print, the intranet, verbal announcements etc.).
Ensure that this information is also included during onboarding of new employees
b. In Progress Requirements:
Show initiative, planning, and engagement. (Provide details and examples)
*Please note that, at this time, non-BIPOC individuals do not satisfy this or any of the commitments in the CTA.
1B. Secondary support roles - such as head of Human Resources, head of finance, head of marketing.
a. Actualized Requirements:
BIPOC professionals are present in the above positions
Clarity and Transparency of metrics for career advancement (in print, the intranet, verbal announcements etc.).
Ensure that this information is also included during onboarding of new employees
b. In Progress Requirements:
Show initiative, planning, and engagement. (Provide details and examples)
*Please note that, at this time, non-BIPOC individuals do not satisfy this or any of the commitments in the CTA.
2. Partner and/or collaborate annually on projects with at least (2) Black or Minority Woman-Owned* businesses, or businesses owned by underrepresented people of color, within the AEC Industry.
a. Actualized Requirements:
At least two projects are collaborated with a paid BIPOC consultant/partner, or a project with two paid BIPOC consultants/partners.
AEC industry partners are included. List the firm/individuals and role.
b. In Progress Requirements:
Show initiative, planning, and engagement. (Provide details and examples)
*Please note that, at this time, non-BIPOC/BIWOC (Black, Indigenous Women of Color) individuals do not satisfy this or any of the commitments in the CTA. For MWBEs, businesses/individuals must be >75% Women of Color-owned.
3. Provide pro-bono design and/or consulting services to BIPOC-owned organizations or businesses* from historically disinherited communities of color each year.
a. Actualized Requirements:
Pro-bono design and/or consulting services provided to BIPOC-owned organizations or businesses* from historically disinherited communities of color each year.
Provide a list of community partners - give examples of work being done and services.
b. In Progress Requirements:
Show initiative, planning, and engagement. (Provide details and examples)
*Please note that working with non-BIPOC-owned organizations or businesses does not satisfy this commitment. This amendment will take effect from reporting periods #2, 3, and 4.
4. Become engaged at the state and local levels in public housing and education policy. Advocate for policies that promote integrated neighborhoods; legislation that benefits the growth, resources, infrastructure and, therefore, prosperity of all communities and demographics.
a. Actualized Requirements:
Have employees or leadership get involved in policy and engage with legislators in local jurisdictions in the above policies.
Demonstrate how you are advocating for communities of color.
Provide resources for employees on how to get involved.
If sustainability is a policy being pursued, provide an explanation on how this directly impacts BIPOC communities in the area.
b. In Progress Requirements:
Show initiative, planning, and engagement. (Provide details and examples)
5. Support BIPOC students in HBCUs, MSIs and higher education institutions through mentorship, advocacy, scholarship, etc.
a. Actualized Requirements:
Show what your firm/organization has done to continue relationships from Foundational Commitment #5.
b. In Progress Requirements:
Show initiative, planning, and engagement. (Provide details and examples)
6. Establish and uphold safe, professional work environments for BIPOC staff by (see Appendix):
a. Actualized Requirements:
Creating and distributing clear protocols for actively and judiciously addressing microaggressions and implicit biases against race, sexual orientation, and religion.
Instill the above into the firm's values, culture and policy.
Show how policies that the office has created acknowledge and adjudicate these issues.
Show how the perspectives and needs of BIPOC employees are being heard and valued.
Provide BIPOC employees clear options, resources, and/or tools that are available. Ensure that these are clear and addressed during onboarding, reviews and in office resources.
Compensating a BIPOC professional when asking for EDI or other consultation/advice. (see FAQ: General Question 5)
Internal: Directly paying/ billable hours (overhead), voluntarily/ involuntary.
External: Pay professionals for their time.
Creating project teams that include Black and underrepresented women and people of color in prime management, partner, or consultant roles.
Firm/organization demonstrates that they are exercising this action thoughtfully and understand tokenism is not ok. Provide a supporting description.
Allowing BIPOC and minority women employees equal opportunity to make mistakes, learn/grow, and feel fully supported/valued while doing so.
Explain what plans and policies are in place that support BIPOC employees and set them up to succeed (i.e. to be seen, heard, valued).
Provide examples where relevant
Be respectful and accommodating of the needs of BIPOC cultures and religions
Examples can include, but are not limited to, options for dietary restrictions, prayer rooms, disabilities, safe spaces to be heard without gaslighting or retaliation, etc.
b. In Progress Requirements:
Show initiative, planning, and engagement. (Provide details and examples)
Compensating a BIPOC professional when asking for EDI or other consultation/advice. (see FAQ: General Question 5)
a. Actualized Requirements:
Internal: Directly paying/ billable hours (overhead), voluntarily/ involuntary.
External: Pay professionals for their time.
b. In Progress Requirements:
Show initiative, planning, and engagement. (Provide details and examples)
7. Be intentional when including BIPOC staff in your firm/organization’s marketing materials, social media, and other professional publications (see Appendix).
a. Actualized Requirements:
Provide examples and/or descriptions on intentional actions relating to marketing materials, social media, and other professional publications. Understand the local context which you are representing. For example, if you are working on a project that affects BIPOC communities, be mindful of who is in your renderings and marketing efforts.
b. In Progress Requirements:
Show initiative, planning, and engagement. (Provide details and examples)
8. Commit to ongoing cultural competency learning, work, and long-term transformation, both at the individual level and organizational level.
a. Actualized Requirements:
Firm/organization needs to demonstrate plans for future cultural competency training.
Firms/organizations need to show that they are continuing to provide an open attitude, self-awareness, awareness of others, cultural knowledge, and cultural skills.
b. In Progress Requirements:
Show initiative, planning, and engagement. (Provide details and examples)